<p>The woman he talked to was not the President of MACUSA. Rather, she was Ilvermorny Professor Eulalie Hicks (according to the script.) Rowling told us she will play a significant role in the next movie. So we have an organization of people, including Albus, separate form the official ministry structures, who refer to themselves as a single organization ("we"), who have as a symbol the Phoenix (again, according to the script, that was what was on the cover of the book) and have a secure method of communication which Dumbledore tells us the Order of the Phoenix had. We also know these people were in close communication because Albus, Flamel and Hicks all seemed to know exactly what was going on.</p><p>
</p><p>I am not saying it is an air-tight argument, but it seems too much to just be coincidence.</p>

<p>Maybe this isn't the Order of the Phoenix as we know it, but rather an early gathering of witches and wizards which formed the basis of the Order. These witches and wizards are educators and researchers (Dumbledore teaches at Hogwarts, Hicks at Ilvermorny and Flamel is an alchemist). It could just be the gathering of great minds that Dumbledore has banded together for advice - his inner circle of friends. </p>

<p>There is something that has always bothered me about the Order of the Phoenix as it was previously understood. In the early 70's, Albus was Headmaster of Hogwarts, Voldemort was a threat, people were being killed, disappearing, no one could trust anyone else .... and Albus had the time and put in the effort to create a fairly elaborate organization from scratch? I believe we hear of people being "inducted" into the Order, apparently there were formal rules that prevented Fred and George from joining, again that seems awfully formal to be created in such turbulent times. It seems too much like kids at play rather than people facing a mortal threat. Sure, there was Dumbledore's Army, but that name was created almost as a joke after about five seconds of thought. There were also the Death Eaters but Voldemort had decades to create that.</p><p>
</p><p>So go back to the Order of Merlin. According to Rowling this was created by Merlin - of course - and was an organization intended to help protect muggles from wizards. We know at some point this Order as an organization ceased to function and became just an award given out by the Ministry of Magic. OK. So what happened to those who were members of the original Order of Merlin who believe in protecting muggles? The need certainly didn't go away and I highly doubt they just all gave up and went home. What if those who remained created the Order of the Phoenix? What if it is hundreds of years old? We assume the order was named after Fawkes, but what if it was the other way around? What if Fawkes came and Albus' patronus was a phoenix because of the Order?</p><p>
</p><p>Compare how "Order of the Phoenix" and "Dumbeldore's Army" are used in Half Blood Prince and the books after that. DA is rarely used by Harry, Ron, and Hermione in normal conversation, they use the normal pronouns "we" and "us." But in HBP, in Grimmauld Place in particular, the adults talk about the Order when it would have been just as natural to use "we" and "us." Go and re-read the chapter "Order of the Phoenix" in HBP. To me that strongly suggests that the Order existed as an organization above and beyond what was presented in the Harry Potter series.</p><p>
</p><p>A theory, but the more I think about it the more it makes sense.</p>